Exploring Cyprus

During the final weekend of November, our family traveled to Cyprus. The excursion spanned 4 days, taking advantage of an extended weekend break. We were accompanied by a group of 6 adults and a two-and-a-half-month-old baby (I'll share more about our experience traveling with such a young child later on).

Why choose Cyprus? Because Cyprus came up in our search for affordable plane tickets. If traveling the world were more expensive, I wouldn't be able to afford it. So, in early October, we began exploring destinations for a long weekend getaway. Considering our trip was scheduled for late November, we wanted to avoid colder places. This led us to discover round-trip plane tickets with luggage included for just 45 euros! We flew to Paphos from Zagreb. Initially, the plan was for just the two of us to go, but Kaya managed to persuade her entire family to join. The child's plane ticket cost 30 euros, he sat on your lap, a window seat had to be reserved, an extra piece of luggage was allowed on the plane, and check-in was required.

We made a reservation for three apartments at an all-inclusive hotel in Paphos. The total cost for 4 people for 3 nights, including unlimited food and drinks, was 1047 euros. Additionally, we pre-booked an automatic car due to the left-side driving in the area, as none of us had prior experience with this driving style.

We were all set to go. The only task left for me to handle (as usual) was to compile a list of items allowed on the plane and those needed for the baby. Our party included two adults who were flying for the first time and an infant with whom we had no prior travel experience.

Day of departure to Cyprus (1st day)

Early in the morning, we headed to Zagreb Airport where we had pre-booked parking at Parking Zagreb Airport for 24 euros per car. The staff there was friendly and transported us to the airport in a van, and also picked us up upon our return. While at the airport, the parents of the baby went to check in the car seat and stroller, as they were not taken on the plane. We proceeded to the check-in counter where everything went without a hitch. It's worth noting that when traveling with a small child, you are given priority during check-in, boarding, and other processes, with staff guiding you through dedicated pathways. The flight itself was uneventful, with the baby sleeping for most of the 1 hour and 50-minute journey.

Upon our morning arrival at the car rental location, I suggest ensuring you have a credit card with you. Unfortunately, we were unable to collect the car due to not having a credit card, which was disappointing (this situation may reoccur - refer to past trip records). The rental cost was 84 euros for 4 days, during which we rented two cars. Subsequently, we proceeded to the hotel to receive our wristbands and enjoy lunch. Opting for the all-inclusive package provided us with a variety of food options at various times and convenient access to drinks.

Following our lunch, Kaya and I opted to rent bicycles and explore the town, expecting several shops to be open, but unfortunately, most were closed. After some searching, we eventually found an open shop where we were able to rent gravel bikes for 100 euros each, including helmets and chains. We pedaled several kilometers from the town center to our hotel and then continued to the beach, which featured well-organized walking and cycling paths. Due to the sun setting around 6, we had to cut our cycling short, so after covering a distance of 40km, we made our way back to the hotel. We safely stored the bikes in our room 😉.

After the activities, dinner was served with a different theme each evening at the hotel. The dining options catered to everyone's preferences, offering traditional Cypriot cuisine, European/Western dishes, and a variety of food for children. It's worth noting that Kaya was adventurous in trying all the available dishes, resulting in her plates being generously filled with a mix of flavors. The menu featured a plethora of olive-infused dishes, ranging from sweet to salty and dry. For those not fond of olives, caution was advised as unexpected flavors could be found in dishes like beans, chocolate, and more!

Following dinner, Kaya and I traveled approximately 6 km to the city, where we opted to park at the shopping center due to the inconsistent layout of public parking lots throughout the city. Our exploration led us to the castle and the seaside promenade, where we scoped out a potential bike route for the following day. After browsing the shops at the shopping center, we made our way back to the hotel.

Day 2

On Saturday we went for a joint breakfast, which offered everything you could expect from a Russian buffet. The food was delicious, certain things were also baked on the spot.

Following breakfast, Kaya and I hopped on our bicycles and pedaled to Paphos, where we explored a significant portion of the city by bike. We passed by the main sights, rode along the coastline just beyond the city limits, and stopped to take photos at different locations. Eventually, we returned the bikes at a leisurely pace as rain was expected later in the day. We rendezvoused with the rest of the group in the city center and split into two groups. The group with the young child headed back to the hotel, while the other group made their way to Aphrodite's beach.

Descending the stairs and following the path underneath the road will lead you to the well-preserved beach, although its popularity has been somewhat exaggerated through social media. Continuing along the beach, you will come across Aphrodite's Rock, the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite. Overall, this is a free attraction where you can admire the scenery and appreciate the natural beauty that Cyprus boasts.

Upon returning to the hotel at lunchtime, we proceeded to explore the Avakas Gorge Canyon, a smaller canyon carved out by water. The trail is suitable for dogs and young children. I suggest visiting during daylight hours as using a flashlight can disrupt the local wildlife. After a leisurely half-hour walk, you'll reach the end of the canyon where you'll find a picturesque spot ideal for taking photos (see attached image).

Once night fell, we headed back to the hotel and took a refreshing swim in the pool before enjoying a themed dinner. That evening, we indulged in a traditional barbecue with a cowboy twist. Following the meal, Kaya and I strolled along the beach while the others stayed behind at the hotel, savoring cocktails, beer, and entertainment.

Day 3

Following breakfast, Kaya and I set off for Lanark to maximize our exploration during our brief getaway. While it was raining at the hotel, the weather gradually improved as we traveled eastward. Along the route, we made a stop at Kolossi Castle to catch a glimpse of the English-influenced region. However, this particular stop turned out to be unremarkable as it mainly consisted of vast fields. Consequently, we decided to continue our journey toward Lanarca. Upon arrival, we visited a salt lake, but contrary to Google Maps' directions, we found ourselves at a less scenic spot where we ended up getting our knees dirty, as there was little to observe in December. Subsequently, we relocated to the opposite side of the lake and took some photographs. Due to insufficient rainfall, the lake was not brimming with water and had a salty composition, adding to its unique characteristics.

Upon our arrival at the hotel, Kaya headed to the gym while I went for a swim. After we had both finished our activities, we took a stroll. Unexpectedly, a storm hit us, leaving us drenched. My shoe got soaked twice that day, as I only had these two pairs with me. Can you guess what I ended up wearing to dinner? Option A was flip flops and socks (Kaya), while option B was wet shoes (me) - neither was ideal. Later, we decided to sample cocktails from the complimentary drinks menu, but this turned into a Slovenian karaoke session (which everyone enjoyed) and dancing to Golica 😉 Our theme song for this trip was "Wie heisst die Mutter von Nikki Lauda" (check it out).

Last day and return to Slovenia

The final day presented some challenges as I had to wait until lunchtime to eat. Following breakfast, Kaya and I visited sea caves, an abandoned ship, and other attractions along the western coast (see pictures below). It's worth noting that the strong winds, reaching speeds of up to 40 km/h, made it difficult to capture good photographs.

Following lunch at the hotel, we checked out of our room and ate, after which Kaya headed to the gym before joining the rest of the group in town. We split into two groups, drove to the airport, refueled the car, returned it, and got ready for the flight. The trip was smooth overall, despite a slight delay with the plane.

Upon our arrival in Zagreb, we contacted the parking lot staff to locate us before embarking on our journey to Slovenia. We reached our destination at approximately 3 am, and by 6 am, I was already up and on my way to work, signaling the conclusion of our vacation.

.

.

.

Ciper 2023

Zadnji vikend novembra smo se v družinski zasedbi odpravili na Ciper. Potovanje je trajalo 4 dni, saj smo dobili dopusta samo za podaljšan vikend. Naj še omenim, da smo potovali v zasedbi 6 odraslih oseb in dojenček star dva meseca in pol (v nadaljevanju povem kako je bilo tudi potovanje z tako majhnim otrokom).

Zakaj Ciper? Ker s Kayo iščeva letalske karte, ki so poceni. Saj če bi potovali dražje po svetu si vsaj jaz osebno tega ne bi mogla privoščiti. Tako sva v začetku oktobra začeli gledati kam bi lahko šli za podaljšan vikend. Glede na to, da smo potovali konec novembra nisva želeli kam kjer je še bolj hladno. In tako sva našli povratne letalske karte s prtljago za 45 eur :O Leteli smo Zagreb Paphos. Najprej je bil plan, da greva sami, a nekako je Kaya potem prepričala še celotno stran njene družine, da so se nama pridružili. Za letalsko karto za otročka se je odštelo 30 eur, sedel je v naročju, moral si rezervirati sedež ob oknu, pripadal ti je še dodatni kos prtljage na letalu in check in.

Hotel smo rezervirali kar v Paphosu in za tako družbo smo izbrali kar all inclusive opcijo. Rezervirali smo 3 apartmaje. Cena za 4 ljudi s tremi apartmaji ter neomejeno hrano in pijačo za 3 nočitve smo odšteli 1047eurov. Pred prihodom smo rezervirali tudi avtomobil. Pogoj je bil, da je avto avtomatik, saj tam vozijo po levi strani ceste in ker nobeden od nas ni še nikoli tega izkusil smo rezervirali kar tako.

Pa smo bili pripravljeni. Edino, kar sem še mogla organizirati (seveda jaz) je bil seznam kaj vse lahko neseš na letalo in kaj vse za otroka lahko neseš s seboj. Naša skupina je imela dva odrasla, ki sta prvič potovala z letalom ter dojenčka, s katerim še tudi nismo potovali.

Dan odhoda na Ciper (1. dan)

V zgodnjih jutranjih urah smo se odpravili na letališče v Zagrebu (parking smo rezervirali že prej – Parking Zagreb Airport 24 eur za en avtomobil, prijazno osebje te potem s kombijem pelje do letališča ter te pride iskat ko pristaneš). Na letališču sta starša dojenčka šla prijavit lupinico ter voziček, saj nista tega vzela gor na letalo in tako smo se odpravili na prijavo, kjer je vse potekalo gladko. Samo, da omenim, če imaš majhnega otroka imaš vedno prednost pri vpisu, vkrcavanju itd. saj te osebje pospremi po drugih poteh, kot ostale potnike. Na letalu je vse potekalo gladko, dojenček je prespal večino poti, let je trajal uro in 50 minut.

Dopoldan smo prispeli tja, kjer smo prevzeli avtomobil. Priporočam, da imate s seboj kreditno kartico, saj mi je nismo imeli in je malo manjkalo, da nam niso dovolili prevzeti avtomobila (to se bo še kdaj zgodilo – sledi zapisom drugih potovanj). Najem je bil 84 eurov za 4 dni. Imeli smo dva avtomobila. Tako smo se odpravili do hotela, ker smo dobili zapestnice in se lahko odpravili na kosilo. Imeli smo allinclusive, kar je pomenilo veliko različne hrane ob različnih urah, pijača na dosegu roke…

Po kosilu sva se s Kaya odločili, da bi najel kolesa in se odpeljali v mesto, kjer je bilo sicer veliko prodajaln, ki bi naj bile odprte vendar niso bile. Po iskanju sva končno našli eno, ki je obratovala. Tam sva najeli gravel kolesi za 100eurov s čeladami in verigami. Prekolesarili sva kar nekaj kilometrov iz centra do hotela in tam nadaljevali on plaži, kjer imajo urejene sprehajalne in kolesarske poti. Nisva mogli kolesarit predolgo, saj je sonce zašlo okoli 6, zato sva se po 40km kolesarjenja vrnili nazaj do hotela. Kolesi sva pustili v sobi 😉.

Sledila je večerja, ki je v tem hotelu bila vsak večer tematska. Hrana tam je bila za vsakega, imel si tradicionalno ciprsko hrano, evropsko/zahodno, hrano za otroke. Moram še omenit, da se je Kaya odločila, da bo poskusila vse kar ji lahko ponudijo. Tako so njeni krožniki vedno bili do vrha naloženi z najrazličnejšimi stvarmi. Veliko imajo hrane z olivami in to v vsem (sladko, slano, suho…) in če jih ne maraš moraš biti pazljiv, saj je fižol, čokolada in še marsikaj drugega tam lahko drugačnega okusa haha

Po večerji sva se s Kaya odpravile približno 6 km do mesta, kjer sva v šoping centru pustili avtomobil, saj javna parkirišča niso vedno dobro urejena skozi mesto. Šle sva do gradu in do sprehajalne poti ob morju, saj sva iskali pot za kolo za jutri. Nato sva se sprehodili še po trgovinah  šoping centra in se vrnili nazaj proti hotelu.

Dan 2

V soboto smo šli na skupen zajtrk, ki je ponujal vse kar bi lahko pričakoval od ruskega bifeja. Hrana je bila okusna, določene stvari so pekli tudi na licu mesta.

Po zajtrku sva se s Kaya odpravili na kolo in se peljali do Paphosa, kjer sva prekolesarili velik del mesta. Vozili sva se mimo atrakcij, ob morju, malo ven iz mesta. Se seveda slikali ob različnih delih, potem pa počasi vrnili kolesa, saj so bile napovedane padavine popoldan. Dobili smo se v centru z ostalimi, se razdelili v dve skupini. Skupina z majhnim otročkom se je vrnila nazaj do hotela, druga skupina pa se je odpravila do Afroditine plaže.

Tam se spustiš po stopnicah po poti pod cesto do plaže, ki je sicer lepo ohranjena, vendar je vse skupaj malce napihnjeno skozi socialna omrežja. Ko se sprehodiš po plaži naprej lahko zagledaš tudi Afroditino skalo, kjer naj bi se Afrodita rodila. Vse skupaj je atrakcija, ki ni plačljiva, lahko pa se pogleda in uživa v naravi, ki jo Ciper ponuja.

Do hotela smo se vrnili v času kosila, potem smo se odpravili do kanjona Avakas Gorge, ker se sprehodiš do manjšega kanjona, ki ga je izoblikovala voda. Pot je dostopna za pse in manjše otroke. Priporočam edino to, da se tja odpravite dovolj zgoraj, saj po temi ni priporočljivo hodit tam. Uporba svetilke moti prosto živeče živali na tem območju. Ko prideš do konca poti (približno pol ure umirjene hoje), prideš do konca kanjona in tam je zelo lep prostor za ustvarjanje fotografij (priložim spodaj).

Po temi smo se vrnili do hotela, kjer sva se odpravili plavat  v bazen za tem nas je čakala večerja (sploh si ne moreš spočiti od hrane 😉), ki je tudi ta dan bila tematska. V vseh dneh smo imeli tradicionalno, žar in kavbojsko večerjo. Po večerji sva se s K šle malce sprehajat po plaži. Ostali so ostali v hotelu in uživali ob koktejlih, pivu in animaciji.

Dan 3

Po zajtrku sva se s Kaya odpravili proti Lanarci, saj sva hoteli videti čim več stvari na našem krajšem potovanju. Pri hotelu je deževali, vendar bolj vzhodno sva šli več sonca sva bili deležni. Ker je en del celo angleški, sva se ustavile po poti na Kolossi gradu kjer sva lahko »pogledali« tudi v angleški del države. No ta ni bil nič posebnega, saj sva videli le polja. Zato sva nadaljevali pot proti Lanarci. Tam sva se ustavili na slanem jezeru, ampak naj vas ne zavede Google maps naju je peljal na stran jezera, kjer sva se samo umazali čez kolena, saj v decembru tukaj ni kaj dosti za videt. Zato sva se peljali na drugo stran in se tam malce poslikali. Jezero ni bilo napolnjeno z vodo, saj presahne ko ni dosti padavin. Pa še slano je za povrh.

Ko sva prispeli v hotel je Kaya šla v fitnes jaz pa plavat. Ko sva obe dodelali svoje sva se sprehodili še okoli in kaj se je zgodilo? Dobila naju je nevihta in bili sva mokri kot miši. Čevlje mi je zalilo že 2x ta dan s seboj sem imela le te 2 tako da lahko predvidevate v čem sem šla na večerjo? Opcija A v natikačih in nogavicah (K) in opcija B mokri čevlji (jaz) hahah nič od tega ni bilo najbolje. Po večerji smo se odločili, da bomo poskusili koktejle iz seznama brezplačnih pijač. No to se je razvilo v slovenske karaoke (ki so jih poslušali vsi) ter golica plesišče 😉 Naša pesem tega potovanja je bila Wie heisst die Mutter von Nikki Lauda (preveri).

Zadnji dan in vrnitev nazaj v Slovenijo

Zadnji dan je bil malce problematičen, saj nisem mogla ničesar pojesti do kosila hmmm po zajtrku sva se s Kaya odpravile do morskih jam, zapuščene ladje in drugih znamenitosti po zahodnem delu obale (spodaj bodo slike). Moram še omeniti to, da je zelo pihalo, sunki vetra so bili celo do 40km/h, kar je povzročalo nekaj problemov pri izvajanju lepih posnetkov :-D

Vrnili sva se na kosilo v hotel, izpraznili sobo, pojedli kosilo, Kaya je šla še v fitnes, potem smo se dobili v mestu z ostalimi. Se razdelili v dva avtomobila in se podali do letališča. Tam smo dotočili gorivo v avtomobilu, ga oddali in se šli pripravit na letalo. Vse na poti je potekalo gladko, razen letalo je malce zamujalo.

Ko smo pristali v Zagrebu smo poklicali zaposlene parkirišča, da so nas prišli iskat in se tako podali proti Sloveniji. Prispeli smo okoli 3. ure ponoči, no ob 6. uri sem se vstala in se odpravila nazaj v službo in tako se je naš dopust končal.